Srinagar, May 31 (JKNS): International water sports star and prominent sports administrator Bilquis Mir has filed a contempt petition before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), alleging that the Jammu and Kashmir Youth Services and Sports Department failed to comply with tribunal directions to release her salary, which she says has remained unpaid for more than two-and-a-half years.
As per news agency JKNS, The contempt petition has been filed against the Commissioner Secretary and Director General of the Youth Services and Sports Department. Mir has contended that the CAT, in its order dated February 5, had directed the authorities to release her legitimately earned salary within 15 days, but the order has allegedly not been implemented despite the expiry of the stipulated timeframe.
According to the petition, the continued non-compliance has caused severe financial hardship and professional distress, depriving her of her livelihood despite rendering services to the department. She has alleged that the failure to implement the tribunal’s order is deliberate and undermines the authority of the judicial institution.
Mir’s salary issues date back to November 2023, following the registration of a case against her by the Anti-Corruption Branch under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code. However, in July last year, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court quashed the FIR and made strong observations in her favour, stating that efforts appeared to have been made to harass a talented sportsperson.
The celebrated sports administrator has had a distinguished career spanning nearly three decades. She represented India at the Canoeing and Kayaking World Cup in Hungary in 2009 and became the first Indian woman to serve as a judge at the Asian Games. She also coached India’s women’s kayaking and canoeing teams at international events and holds an international coaching diploma from Hungary.
Mir gained international recognition after being selected as India’s only female kayaking and canoeing judge for the 2024 Paris Olympics. She was also recently appointed chief coach of the national kayaking and canoeing team for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan.
The petition states that despite clear judicial directions and the department’s knowledge of the CAT order, her salary has not been released. It further claims that the respondents were represented during the tribunal proceedings and were fully aware of the binding nature of the order.
The legal battle over her financial dues had earlier reached the High Court, which subsequently transferred the matter to the CAT for adjudication. In its observations, the High Court had praised Mir’s achievements, describing her accomplishments as a matter of pride for the country and lamenting the treatment meted out to accomplished sportspersons.
The court had also criticized the Anti-Corruption Branch’s actions, observing that the case appeared to be a “witch-hunt” and expressing concern over what it described as attempts to target a sportsperson of international stature. —(JKNS)
